Manchester United defeated Southampton 3-1 in what was a rollercoaster of a match on Thursday night.
Desperate to improve their fortunes, Man United were in need of a home win against the team sitting in last place in the league table.
While it appeared as if United were on the cusp of a humiliating 1-0 defeat, everything changed in the 82nd minute when Amad Diallo equalised to get the hosts back into the game.
Although Amad showed great composure to execute the perfect counter-attack, it was Joshua Zirkzee who engineered the scoring opportunity, picking Amad out with a creative pass.
Coming on for Rasmus Hojlund in the 53rd minute, Zirkzee helped to significantly improve United’s performance following a shambolic first half.
During his cameo, Zirkzee attempted two dribbles, successfully completing one. He also took one shot that was blocked.
While lacking firepower up front, Zirkzee more than made up for this with his impressive display in the middle of the park.
Taking just 22 touches, the Dutch forward completed nine of 12 passes while creating two key passes, one of which led to Amad’s opening goal.
Zirkzee’s physicality was lacking, however. He won two of five ground duels and just one of three aerial duels.
Interestingly, the substitute also helped his team in defence, blocking a shot to safeguard United’s comeback win.
Despite his limited exposure to the ball, Zirkzee showed how clinical he is, making the most of his time in the match to push United to a late comeback win.
Given his continued improvement and Rasmus Hojlund’s poor form, United fans must be wondering when Ruben Amorim will give the Dutch youngster a more regular role in his starting 11 going forward.
(Stats via Sofascore)
Featured image by Carl Recine via Getty Images
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
